Mail-crane.



PATENTED NOV. 2l, 1905.'

S. B. FORMAN. MAIL CRANE. APPLICATION' FILED AUG. z5

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

@nnen km, @VMM/w @VH1/mosca PATBNTED Nov. 21, 1905. s. B. FORMAN. MAIL CRANE. APPLICATION' FILED AUG. 25, 1905 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED sTALs PATENT OFFIOE.

SANFORD B. FORMAN, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, ASS'IGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH TO JAMES A. OHILES AND ONE FOURTH TO JULIUS THACKER, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

MAIL-CRANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

.To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, SANFORD B. FORMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county of Fayette, State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Cranes; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mail-cranes.

One object of the invention is to provide mechanism embodying such characteristics that a mail-bag may be delivered to a train and another mail-bag taken therefrom regardless of the rate of speed of the train.

Another obj ect of the invention resides in the provision of mechanism of the nature stated, wherein simplicity, inexpensiveness and durability, and effectiveness are essential features.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention, illustrating a portion of a car. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through a car, illustrating my invention. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the pivoted-arm mechanism secured to one end of the sliding arm. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the transverse supportingbeams. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of one of the mail-bags.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the reference character 1 designates tracks for the guidance of the car 2. Secured to opposite sides 3 and 4 of the car and upon the inner faces thereof are cleats 5 and 6, supported upon which are the spaced supporting-beams 7 and 8, the latter provided at one end with a plate 9, projecting slightly beyond its inner edge and notched, as at 10, for a purpose presently eX- plained. Supported for sliding movement upon these transverse beams 7 and 8 of the car is an arm 11, provided with a handle 12,

depending between the aforesaid beams 7 one end to one side of the arm 1 1, with its opposite end secured to the inner face of the side 4 of the car to retract or return the arm 11 to its normal position within the car when desired. Secured to one end of thev arm 11 is a plate 14, to the lower edge of which are pivoted the angular arms 15 and 16, whose laterally-directed portions 17 and 18 are designed to receive and take mail-bags. The pivotal connections of these arms 15 and 16 with the said plate 14 are edected through the instrumentality of a connecting-piece 19, whose opposite ends are pierced by suitable pivot-pins 2() and 21, which pins also pierce the arms 15 and 16 and the said plate 14. In order to hold the laterally-directed portion 17 and 18 of the arms 15 and 16 normally in horizontal position, I connect the upper ends of the arms 15 and 16 with a helical spring 22, which tends to draw the arms inwardly toward each other. N ow in order to limit the inward pull upon the arms by reason of the spring 22 a suitable stop is formed with or secured to the plate 14 between the arms immediately beneath said spring 22. The arm 11 is normally spaced from the inner face of the top of the car with pressure eX- erted upon its upper face through the'instrumentality of a fiat spring 30, secured at one en d to the top of the car with its opposite end bearing against the upper face of the arm. By reason of this spring 30 the arm 11 may be forced upwardly by grasping the handle 12 to permit of a free and easy sliding movement of the arm 11 to its inner or outward position, it being obvious that the spring 30 will serve to hold the arm normally upon the aforesaid transverse beams 7 and 8.

My improved crane mechanism comprises a base 31, disposed adjacent the tracks 1,

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upon which is pivotally mounted at one of its ends by means of a suitable pivot-pin 32 an arm 33, provided at one end with a short post 34, having an arm 35, with a taller post 36 disposed at its opposite end, whose upper extremity is rovided with a hook 37, disposed in a p ane higher than the aforesaid arm 35 of the post 34. Now when it is desired to take a mail-bag from a train and also deliver one thereto, an attendant within the car will grasp the handle 12 of the arm 11 and force the latter outwardly through the opening 13 in the side of the car to present the pivoted arms 15 and 16 in alinement with the said post 34 and 36 of the crane mechanism. Of course this arm 11 must be disposed in close proximity to the door of the car, so that the bag may be placed upon the arms or taken therefrom. It will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 that the short post 34 is in advance of the taller post 36, and that a mail-bag 38 is disposed upon the laterallydirected portion 17 of the arm 15, and .that the bag 39 is disposed upon the hooked end 37 of the taller post 36. It will be observed that each mailbag is provided with upper and lower loops 40 and 41. As the train moves along the loop 41 of the bag 38 is engaged by the arm 35 of the post 34, whereby the mail-bag 38 is removed from the lateral extension 17 of the arm 15, while at the same time the laterally-directed portion 18 of the arm 16 engages the upper loop 40 of the mailbag 39 and removes the latter from the hook 37 of the post 36. As soon as this operation is completed the attendant may disengage the handle 12 from the notch 10 of the plate 9, secured to the transverse beam 8, when the helical s ring 14 will return the arm 11 to its norma position, permitting the attendant to step to the door of the car and remove lthe mail-bag 39 from the laterally-directed portion 18 of the arm 16. In order to provide for the delivery of mail to the crane and the taking of mail simultaneously from the crane to be delivered to the car when the latter is moving in an opposite direction, it is only necessary to shift the arm 33 upon its base 31 from engagement with the stop 42 of the base into engagement with the stop 43 in the opposite end of the base, in which latter position the position of the post 34 and 36 will be correspondingly changed, as should be well understood.

What is claimed is- 1. An apparatus of the character described including a car provided with an opening in one of its sides, transverse beams arranged near the top of the car, an arm slidably mounted upon said beams and provided with a handle depending between said beams whereby the arm may have sliding movement upon the beams through the aforesaid opening of the car, oppositely-disposed pivoted arms disposed at one end of the aforesaid arm, a crane mechanism disposed adjacent the line of travel of the car and provided With means for coperation with the said oppositely-disposed arms for the discharge and delivery of mail-bags simultaneously, and a spring connected with thesaid arm to retract the latter to its normal position.

2. A mechanism of the character described comprising a car having an opening in one of its sides, an arm mounted for sliding movement within the car through said opening, a spring secured to the top of the car and bearing against the upper face of the said arm, means for locking the arm in its extended position through said opening, means for retracting the arm to its normal position when disengaged from said locking means, a crane mechanism arranged along the line of travel of the car, and means constructed and arranged at one end of said arm for coperation with said crane mechanism, to deliver and discharge a mail-bag simultaneously to and from the car.

3. A mechanism of the character described comprising a car, an arm mounted for sliding movement with respect to the car, means for locking the arm in one position with respect to its sliding movement with relation to the car, means for retracting the arm when disengaged from said locking means, a crane mechanism arranged along the line of travel of the car, and spring-actuated arms secured to the first arm for coperation with the crane mechanism to deliver and discharge mail-bags from and to the car simultaneously. y

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SANFORD B. FORMAN.

Witnesses:

W. T. DINwlDDIE, JEssIE WALLER.

TOZ 

